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REVIEW: URBANEARS – THE EAR BUD WITH A TWIST

UrbanEars – the name is as unique as the look, with surprisingly good performance. UrbanEars ‘Medis’ is the name of a line of earbuds from Sweden that are completely different from any other earphone I have ever listened through. Don’t let the UrbanEars Medis‘toys r us’ look, shape and color throw you off. These UrbanEars are not only well constructed, they actually produce exceptionally good quality audio reproduction – spacious, natural and distortion free. Once you get the hang of how to position the UrbanEars Medisonto each ear, the listening pleasure begins.

Your first look at the Medis by Urban Ears will be a bit of a double take. Unlike conventional style earbuds, these Urban Ears don’t fit into the ear canal surface like the usual Apple ear buds or deep into the ear canal like the ‘in ear’ style earbuds which make your ears all sweaty inside. As a set of ear buds, the Urban Ears Medis have a unique shape and style that is at first quite puzzling. It’s all worth a bit of initial fiddling and concentration. The Urban Ears Medis kind of gently twist into the natural shape of the outer most part of the ear just over the ear canal and ultimately the ‘speaker’ portion (the driver) of the Urban Ear Medis is actually suspended above the surface of the ear canal.

Upon plugging a pair of Urban Ears Medis to my iPod, I was immediately impressed with what I heard. So much so that I wanted to start ‘A / B’ ing the sound quality and physical fit of theUrbanEars Medis with several other earbuds I had on hand from other manufacturers in a variety of price ranges. These Urban Ears Medis came in first place for me in every comparison for general listening.

The Urban Ears product catalogue describes it this way:

‘Medis (UrbanEars model name) is an unprecedented experience in ergonomics and functionality. The patented EarClick solution secures the earpiece on two separate points rather than one, relieving pressure to a nearly non-existent level while keeping it firmly in place. Additionally, the Medis rests a small distance from the ear canal and therefore doesn’t affect your balance. Naturally the Medis features a dynamic sound and the sleek and minimal design that is synonymous with Urbanears.’

The description above can only really be appreciated once you have actually tried a pair of Urban Ears yourself. The sound quality has a marvellous spacious natural audio characteristic and in my opinion is superior, largely a due to the manner is which the speaker portion (drivers) of the UrbanEar Medis is suspended in the tiny space above the ear canal and not jammed into the ear canal like most other conventional earbud designs.

The UrbanEars Medis are surprisingly comfortable to wear, letting your ear ‘breath’ by allowing air to circulate between the driver and the surface of your ear. The hi-quality design and attention to detail is evident from the braided fabric cord down to the soft supple ‘silicone like’ housing which encases the hand made drivers. Urban Ears Medis ship with a variety of changeable inserts to ensure a comfortable fit for ears of all sizes as well as a couple of adapter cables. And of course, the Urban Ears are iPhone compatible as they have an excellent built in microphone and remote for mobile phone convenience.

‘A Better Mouse Trap’

In my opinion, the design of the UrbanEars Medis is revolutionary in the world of ear buds for fit as well as for audio quality. As it says on the box, ‘Function quality and acoustic performance together with a unique design.’

Had I not tried the Urban Ears personally, I would never have been able to appreciate the crisp natural sound quality and comfortable design of these exceptional headphones.

‘Not simply some gimmicky fashion statement’

Don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself and try a pair of these UrbanEars Medis. My apologies if this is sounding cliché but the truth is, after using these Urban Ears, all other conventional earbuds are only second best for general listening of music and voice reproduction. Naturally, because they are so unique, a pair of UrbanEars Medis are a great gift for the music lover in your life who has everything…